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Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you know Fifty Shades of Grey is an international phenomenon. We get very excited when a pop culture moment lends itself to a great event. Therefore, we are thrilled to be producing the hottest party in San Diego for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie premier.

Post movie celebration in the Red Room at Side Bar (no line / no cover)

Gift bag

Five (5) raffle tickets for amazing prizes

$50 – “The Contract” Party Package

Red carpet arrival and photo booth by Party Spark

Ticket for private showing of Fifty Shades of Grey

Post movie celebration in the Red Room at Side Bar (no line / no cover)

Gift bag

Raffle ticket for amazing prizes

Raffle prizes include:

2-night stay with Inner Goddess packageThe Heathman Hotel in Portland
The infamous haunt of main characters Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. Inner Goddess package includes a chilled bottle of Boedecker Pinot Gris, shared by the main characters in the first novel, and a keepsake grey neck tie.

Official Fifty Shades of Grey Wine
Custom Box Set includes Fifty Shades of Grey White Silk & Red SatinOriginal Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Soundtrack
Official soundtrack from the highly anticipated movie
Other exciting prizes to be announced!

“Laters, Baby…”

A limited number of tickets are available, so don’t delay! Must be 21 to attend!

The Henley Company is proud to produce the ultimate Fifty Shades of Grey movie premier party in San Diego. For more information, please contact hello@thehenleycompany.com or call 619-757-6551

On my schedule for today was an aerial yoga class, which I assumed meant a hearty yoga session using a silk hammock. It felt the perfect mix of working out, while dreaming of being in a swaying hammock on the beach in Mexico with a Corona in hand. I had researched aerial yoga classes online and seen the pictures of the flowing poses harnessed above the ground so thought I might be successful at this experience. Off to Aerial Revolution I went this morning.

I should have known I was in the wrong class when I didn’t see any silky hammocks suspended from the rafters. Instead, I found silks of fabric hanging from a rig point at least 30 feet in the air. I thought maybe part of the class was going to be tying off our own hammocks in the pools of silk – at this point I still have a zen mind. My fellow yogi’s were busy stretching and talking about the latest tricks they had tried in a previous class. Tricks? I don’t remember my yoga instructors referring to tricks, but rather poses. Maybe Aerial Revolution has their own lingo. The only other newbie in the class is an overly spirited flower child that was singing while she stretched. She announced how excited she was for the class after giving herself a round of applause. I’m giving myself a round of applause for just being there.

The warm-up solidified that I was indeed in the wrong class. The instructor asked us to run laps, do walking handstands and down dog worm stretches the length of the gym. At this point I’m longing for my Core Power yoga class, which always starts in child’s pose. After the grueling “warm up,” the fiercely strong instructor, Megan, invited us to chose our silk. I felt virgin white was the right choice since I was clearly experiencing something new, and I felt divine intervention was going to be necessary. The first directive, given to the flower child, the aerial mermaids and me, was to climb the silk, Russian style. That required us to wrap our foot around the silk and then climb up using the wrapped foot as a base for the other. There was nothing Russian about my first attempt other than hoping I was a Russian doll, and my aerial rock star was deep inside waiting to be discovered. The flower child climbed her way to the top of the rafters on her first attempt. I’m now less enamored with her daisy-filled life. Moving on to more advanced techniques (which for me was simply learning how to tie the knot that was going to decide if I was going to survive or fall face-first onto the mat) came with instructions to hook both arms around the silks and then flip our legs over our head. It made me think back to days spent on the playground, where I had no fear and was thin enough to fling myself around the monkey bars without hesitation. The 41-year old version of myself wondered again if my knot was tight enough, if my feet could actually get over my head and how I would possibly try to keep up with the daisy chain that took to the silks like white on rice. With the instructors encouragement, and lots of help, I was after 12 attempts, able to get my feet to heave themselves over my head and invert myself like an airplane. The instructor commended my effort and I think secretly expressed her delight that the hippo did not kick her in the head during the inversion. The silks at this point were so wrapped up that it was like waking amongst tangled bed sheets after a bad dream. I wondered if I just lay down amongst the silks if anyone would notice.

Our final exercise was to do an elevated split, which required us to create a foot hold using the silks on both feet. The darn foot hold requires you to weave the silk around your calf and then zig zag back and forth with the silk. I can’t decide at this point if my legs are now longer or my arms have become shorter because I can’t seem to get my hands and feet to reach within the forest of silk. The teacher keeps offering positive affirmations and reminding me that all students have to start somewhere. Daisy child has mastered the technique and has already moved on to the splits. Her first timers luck is now getting on my nerves. The foot hold offers a new challenge – loss of circulation in your foot. I ask innocently if feeling like the silk is a tourniquet is normal and the instructor confirms that it is. How do these aerial stars not have missing toes since they surely must fall off without any blood circulation? I pretend at this point to be in such awe of my classmates that I would rather watch than participate – the truth being that I couldn’t feel my feet, I never mastered the right technique for wrapping the foot hold and I was too embarrassed to ask for the 40th time, nor did I have the upper body strength to suspend myself any longer. The only joy that comes over me is the fact that we only had 6 minutes left in the class. I decide striking up a conversation with the teacher is better for my shaking muscles and lack of coordination than trying the candy cane pose all the fancy yoga pants are attempting.

The instructor does confirm that I am indeed in the wrong class, that this is an introductory circus arts class and not the “om” yoga experience I was attempting to have. She reassures me that aerial yoga is much easier, which I know translates into her attempt to tell me that I will prefer the harness of the hammock more than the jaw clenching experience of Russian foot holds and candy canes. A more experienced student pipes in that aerial yoga is a better place for me to start – was this her way of saying that every circus has a clown and I was indeed the clown of this class? Well, someone has to feed the elephants in the circus!

If you have profound upper body strength, have every confidence in a 30 foot silk being your life line and you have no fear of heights, then Silks 1 at Aerial Revolution is for you! I think I might stick to a hammock on the beach, sipping a Corona! Namaste!

I’m making a bit of a confession – I am feeling stagnant. I’ve made the mistake of allowing my work to interfere with living my best life. Don’t get me wrong, I love the work that I do, but recent projects have me working harder and playing less. As someone who champions the importance of the good life and taking time out for recess, I am challenging myself to do something big.
I’m announcing my Living the Good Life – 30 Day Challenge.

Starting the week of September 22nd, I will be committing to doing something new every day. I want to take classes, try new experiences, explore interesting places and just wonder throughout San Diego. I’m reworking my calendar to make sure that I can get out and about to really soak up what makes living in San Diego so unique.

Have something fun I should try? Email me at nicole@thehenleycompany.com I will be blogging about my experiences so be sure to visit the Henley Blog. I can’t wait to have recess every day for the next month! You are welcome to join me if you wish!

Ms. Henley is the ambassador for The Henley Co. She is the magic behind the brand and she is a connoisseur of living the good life. She has her finger on the pulse for current events, unique experiences and creating a lifestyle, not just a life. When Ms. Henley gives her approval, she is endorsing a product or service of distinction.

Ms. Henley is your go-to girl. She is sophisticated, and super connected. She always knows what fun is going on, and you can always count on her to bring any event or task to the next level. She is your Wonder Woman who makes magic happen.

Ms. Henley is the extra set of hands everyone needs and their secret superhero. She is savvy and smart, poised and professional, impeccably fashionable and contemporary.

The Henley Co., through Ms. Henley, champions the spirit of its visionary founder, Nicole Matthews. The personality of Nicole is infused in this personification of the brand, and Ms. Henley represents the level of poise and creativity that everyone in the company aspires to.

Fans of the brand can spot Ms. Henley around town making magic happen. Be sure to follow her on all Henley Co. social media sites.

In yesterday’s post, we gave you the first installment of Ms. Henley’s Guide to a Stress Free Holiday Season. We continue today with #’s 5-7 of the Top-10 List.

7. Blink:

Save yourself a ton of time by getting your lashes done for the holidays. These semi-permanent additions to your look will have you feeling fresh and bright-eyed without spending lots of time in front of the mirror. Most lashes last 2-3 weeks. Don’t forget to book your blow out appointments to save yourself a bad hair day. We all know a good blow out will last a few days – super time saver!

6. Decorate:

Holiday decorating does not have to be stressful. Keep it simple and stress-free by using what you already have around the house and repurposing from one holiday to the next. We have a ton of ideas if you need any help! Simple things like colored rubber bands can change the look of a basic glass vase or Washi tape around a frame can create a more festive feel to a basic frame or chalk board.

5. Give:

Be a good guest and remember to bring a hostess gift to any parties you are invited to throughout the year, especially during the holidays. With a little pre-planning you can have easy gifts on hand. Think about gifts that are useful not just decorative. We like useable items! On a recent trip to Target we found an adorable cookies for Santa tray; which we paired with the ingredients for making and decorating sugar cookies. Wrapped up in a festive bow and you have an easy, yet functional, hostess gift that will be appreciated.

“Think back to when you were a child – do you remember the gifts you opened or do you remember the moments spent with family, friends and enjoying the merriment? Keeping the holidays simple is a choice! Let this be the year that you delegate the “stuff” and focus on being “present” in every moment. “

We recently had the pleasure of doing several in-home concierge parties, focused on helping clients to take the daze out of the holidays. It gave us an opportunity to present our Ms. Henley’s Guide to a Stress Free Holiday Season. Over the next few days, we will share with you a few of our top-10 list tips so you too can have a stress free holiday season!

10. Plan:

The average woman spends 60-80 hours preparing for the holidays. This includes shopping, cooking, wrapping and attending events. Be strategic about navigating the holidays and make a plan early in the season. Plan time to bake, shop, write holiday cards, etc. so that you don’t feel crunched for time as the holidays get closer. Decide what can be delegated to your holiday elf!

9. Commit:

Remember what the reason is for the season! As a family, come up with 3 words that you want to signify your experience during the holidays. (i.e. Family, Joy & Peace). Post these words in a visible location so it continually stays top of mind. Before saying yes to any invitation, activity or commitment, make sure saying “yes” falls in line with your family values. Turn this into a new family tradition.

Sign up for Groupon, LivingSocial, etc. in the city where you are traveling. Offers great suggestions on fun and unique activities at a discounted price.

Check back tomorrow for tips #5 – #7 on the Top-10 List!

A woman should not measure her value by what gets crossed off her to-do list; but rather by the level of happiness in her heart, and the kind of wife, mother, sister and friend she becomes. Juggling lots of balls should be left to the circus acts – be a woman who values time over “to-do,” and commit to a lifestyle that focuses on unique experiences, family memory-making and sophisticated simplicity.